


Sparks Fly

by sonata_de_morte



Category: YuYu Hakusho
Genre: Banter, M/M, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-19
Updated: 2013-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-05 20:11:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonata_de_morte/pseuds/sonata_de_morte
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I," he said out loud, "am the biggest idiot in all three worlds." And he was. On one count for failing to realize that he…had feelings…for his best friend, and on another for falling for the one demon he probably couldn't seduce.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sudden Realizations

Kurama smiled as he headed to his next class. A familiar burst of youki energy sailed over the roof of the science building. The redhead had gotten so busy with moving across town and beginning the process of getting his botany degree, that he'd lost track of the last time Hiei had entered his mind.

He slid into his chair in the biology lab and smiled at his lab partner. This young woman was one of the few friends that Kurama had in this city for a very good reason.

Every female who walked into the lab, stopped to greet and flirt with Kurama. It was the same in all his other classes as well. It got old. But Reiuka Yamauchi, his bio lab partner, did not participate in that ridiculousness.

"Good afternoon, Reiuka," Kurama greeted.

"Hey, Shuichi. Fan club as lively as ever, I see."

"Please. Do not remind me."

"Plans for the weekend?" Reiuka wanted to know.

"An old friend of mine has just come to visit, so I will be preoccupied with him."

"Oooh! How preoccupied, exactly? Is this 'friend' the reason you won't give the girls here the time of day?"

Kurama laughed. "Hardly. Although I would much rather deal with this friend than these young women. Which is saying something."

"Yeah, it's saying that you loooove him," Reiuka fairly sang.

The kitsune shook his head and turned to pay attention to the professor. He found it hard to focus on the lecture that day, which was fine since they were covering photosynthesis and he could recite that process in every language he knew (thirteen at last count).

His mind kept wandering to the spark of power that he could still feel in the area. It was strange that Reiuka had made accusations about his feelings for Hiei. He had spent so much time not thinking about the fire demon, that now that he had returned, it was hard to think about anything else.

Now that it had been brought to his attention, Kurama allowed himself to think about the last time he had seen Hiei.

" _I value our friendship, and all we've been through... But I'm not interested in you that way."_

" _You fool! I'm not giving my stone to you._

" _Relax. It's a joke."_

* * *

Hiei scowled at the masses of ningen that passed under the tree he was perched in. He didn't understand how the kitsune could stand a place like this. But then, it _was_ some kind of school, and Kurama loved learning.

The familiar wash of power that always felt so alive, came toward him, and Hiei was suddenly sorry that he had been gone so long. He looked down and nearly smiled at the bright green eyes that blinked up at him.

"Hello, Hiei," Kurama said softly.

"Fox," the jaganshi replied. He dropped down from his branch to land in front of the redhead. "I see you're still doing this school thing." He could also see that the kitsune had gotten taller and that his fiery crimson hair had gotten longer.

"You know my penchant for learning, old friend. I'm surprised to see you here."

Hiei shrugged. "Mukuro was getting tiresome. Are we just going to stand here like idiots?"

Kurama knew there had to be more to it than that, but pressing Hiei for information never went anywhere, so he just smiled. "Not at all. Come, I'll take you to my home."

They stared walking. "Do you no longer live with that human woman?"

"You mean my mother?"

Hiei gave him a look that clearly said he didn't care about the specifics.

"I moved out last year when I started university. I now live in a small apartment not far from here."

"Alone?"

"Of course. I am a solitary creature by nature, as you know. Though I do make certain exceptions. Which you also know." He smiled fondly at the demon beside him.

"Hn."

The two of them walked along in silence for a while. Kurama's brow was furrowed as he took stock of his emotions. While he enjoyed being in school, he was usually not this pleased after a day of classes. Logically, it meant that these feelings had something to do with Hiei's unexpected appearance. It hit the kitsune then that he was so surprised about his feelings for Hiei, because he hadn't been _allowing_ himself to feel anything about him at all since they'd parted.

If he were being honest with himself, and he tried to be, he was a little hurt by the fact that he hadn't seen Hiei in over a year. The moment that Hiei got packed into a box and shoved into the dark recesses of the kitsune's complex mind (perhaps next to a similar box labeled 'Youko') was easy to pinpoint. When Yusuke returned, but Hiei did not, it became clear to Kurama that it was time to move on with his life like everyone else. Unlike the boxing away of his vulpine other half, shoving Hiei out of his thoughts had not been done with any ceremony. In fact, it had happened without his notice, almost instinctually.

' _Now why is that?'_ Kurama wondered. He came back to reality in time to turn down his street.

Hiei narrowed his eyes at his companion. The normally calm and indifferent fox had his tail in a twist about something. "You think too much," was all he said aloud.

Kurama smiled. "Guilty. It is perhaps my one flaw."

"Vanity," Hiei muttered.

"Hm?"

"Vanity. Another flaw."

The fox laughed. "Perhaps. Though can it still be called vanity if it's all true?"

"But it isn't. I could recite a list of your many imperfections if you'd like," Hiei offered.

"While it would no doubt be amusing to hear you say more than five words a day, I'm going to politely decline."

"Afraid?" the smaller demon taunted.

"Of many things, Hiei," was the soft reply.

The jaganshi wasn't sure when they had crossed from their usual playful banter to a serious talk, and he wasn't sure he liked the difference. So he did as he was wont to, and stopped talking.

Kurama led them to a fairly large apartment building and used a key to open the front door.

Hiei shot the fox an amused smirk when he saw that the flora all around the building was bursting with life.

Kurama smiled sheepishly in response. "They were sad, so I helped."

"Sad?"

"Mm. Or neglected, I suppose, though they were certainly not happy about it."

"They have feelings?"

The redhead glanced at Hiei in surprise. "Of course they do. Plants are alive, aren't they? All living things feel, Hiei, and they express their feelings, if you know how to listen."

And there it was again. That serious edge to what Kurama was saying. No more was said as they walked into the building and headed up to Kurama's apartment. Hiei took off the moment they were inside. Knowing the fire demon as he did, Kurama could hazard a guess as to what he was doing.

He was partly right. Hiei was checking. He was checking the inevitable window in Kurama's bedroom and the distance from it to the nearest tree. But he was also checking that the Kurama he had dropped in on was the same fox he had left. He checked to make sure there were still a ridiculous amount of books in his possession, each containing a mind-boggling number of pages; that there were girly smelling potions in the bathroom and plants on every windowsill. Only when he was assured that the only thing missing from this version of Kurama's home was his mother, did he return to the living room.

Kurama had dropped his school bag next to the couch and was eyeing a miniature rose plant carefully. "Find what you were looking for?" he asked without looking up. He was pruning the plant by merely pointing at the foliage that he wanted to take off.

Hiei didn't deign to respond since he knew that Kurama already had worked out the answer for himself. Instead he settled himself on the couch. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at the plant the fox was manipulating.

"Elegant Parade," was the reply.

"What?"

"That is the name of the rose."

"It's smaller than the others you use," Hiei noted.

"Mm."

Hiei scowled at the non-answer, but continued to watch the redhead work. He raised an eyebrow as Kurama looked up from his current project and walked over to another plant. The fox tilted his head and then smiled brilliantly, reaching underneath the end table that the plant rested on to grab a watering can.

The fire demon had the distinct feeling that he was missing something. "What are you doing?" he finally asked.

"Watering."

"Why?"

"Plants need water, Hiei."

"But why _this_ plant? You were just working on the other one."

Kurama nodded in understanding. "This one was thirsty," he said with a shrug. "But it's learned to be so much more polite when it asks for water. It used to be all demands and whining with this one."

Hiei didn't respond. He knew better than to be surprised that Kurama could understand what the plants were saying.

"How long will you be staying?" The fox asked abruptly.

"Haven't decided," Hiei replied slowly. "I thought I'd look in on Yukina before I go…"

"Ah. That is a good idea. I only ask because after all this time not seeing you, it seems strange that you would come back just because Mukuro was getting tiresome. I imagine this is not the first time in almost two years that you have felt this way about her."

Damn it. Hiei had been _so_ sure that Kurama had decided not to poke at that one. "Just wanted a break," he answered quickly.

"So you came here? You hate it here."

"I wanted to see Yukina."

"Which of course is why you went to the trouble of tracking me down at the school you didn't even know I went to instead going to see Yukina who has been in the same place since before you left."

Kurama had him there.

"I don't have to explain my actions to you," Hiei muttered viciously.

"No, you don't," Kurama agreed amiably. "I'm going to make dinner; I assume you'll be eating?"

Hiei nodded wordlessly, confused about what had just happened. He hated being put on the spot like that. It unsettled him. Though, it helped just a little that Kurama seemed to be just as unsure as he was about what was going on.


	2. Cat and Mouse

The next day was a Saturday, which meant that Kurama slept in and Hiei slept not at all. He was in the living room watching some pointless human show on the television about creatures who apparently lived in red and white balls when he heard a key turn in the lock of Kurama's door.

Hiei was on his feet with his sword halfway out of its sheath before he took the time to use his senses. The unexplained - and now unwanted - guest revealed himself to his mind at the same second as the door opened.

The two of them blinked at each other in surprise.

"Hiei?"

Red eyes rolled. "Yusuke," he acknowledged.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Hiei folded his arms and glared at his friend. He didn't know much about human actions, but he did know that giving someone a key to your home meant something. Something important.

Yusuke shrugged. "Kurama said I could crash here whenever my mom is on one of her benders. He spends some weekends at his mom's place, so he gave me a key. Not that it's any of your business, Mr. I-can't-be-bothered-to-drop-in-to-see-my-friends."

Hiei just grunted in response and sat back down on the couch. Yusuke frowned and moved over to the couch as well, leaning over the back of it. "So answer my question. What are you doing here?"

"Mourning the loss of my ability to come and go as I please without a flood of questions about it," the jaganshi snapped, keeping his eyes on the television.

"Fine," Yusuke replied. "Watch your Pokemon. I already know the real answer anyway." He stood up and walked towards Kurama's bedroom.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hiei demanded.

"To talk to Kurama. I've been in his bedroom loads of times. Why do you care?"

"I don't."

"Right." Yusuke pushed the door open and entered the room. He smiled at the mass of tangled red hair that stuck out from the lump of blankets that was Kurama. The half demon was always glad that the usually perfect fox was not so perfect looking in his sleep. He reached out to touch some of the scarlet mass when a slender hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

"How many times must I ask you not to do that, Yusuke?" the fox mumbled from under the covers.

Yusuke grinned. "Probably at least three more. One day, I'm going to win."

"Doubtful. What can I do for you?"

"My mom's hosting some kind of booze orgy, so I got out of there while the getting was good."

"You are welcome to stay here of course, though you have doubtlessly seen that you are not my only visitor."

"Yeah, what's up with old three eyes being back?"

Kurama sighed. "As he can probably hear everything we're saying, I can tell you that your guess is as good as mine."

"You know, I don't think I've ever had to say this before, Kurama, but they say there's a first time for everything. You're wrong. I have a pretty good idea why he's here now."

Kurama stuck the rest of his head out of the cocoon. His green eyes were clouded with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Yusuke shook his head. "I'm going to let you two figure this one out for yourselves. Should be fun to watch." He grinned as Kurama glared at him. "You got any food?"

The fox sighed and nodded. "I went shopping earlier this week. Help yourself. And go keep Hiei company while I set my appearance to rights. And don't start any fights. I want my apartment to stay in one piece."

"Yeah, yeah."

Hiei scowled at the television as he listened to the conversation going on behind the closed door. He didn't know why it bothered him so much that Yusuke got to see Kurama in whatever stage of rumpled mess he was in. Perhaps because deep down he wanted to be the one who- Hiei squashed down that thought before it could fully form. He turned to glare at the half demon as he exited the bedroom.

Yusuke laughed. "Oh stop looking at me like that. You know there is nothing going on between me and the fox. I've got Keiko, and I'm sure Kurama has his eye on someone else. Maybe that pretty lab partner of his. Anyway, I'm making bacon; you want?"

* * *

Kurama was in the shower when it hit him. There was a warm feeling in his chest, radiating out to the rest of him, that he'd felt before, but had never really noticed. What perturbed him the most was that it seemed to be stemming from that box labeled 'Hiei' in his brain.

"Oh for Inari's sake," he growled under his breath. It was so simple. He'd shoved Hiei out of his mind when the fire demon had opted to stay in the Makai, and stopped feeling the warmth associated with him because he… "I," he said out loud, "am the biggest idiot in all three worlds." And he was. On one count for failing to realize that he…had feelings…for his best friend, and on another for falling for the one demon he probably couldn't seduce.

And Yusuke knew! The fox was sure that had been what the half demon was hinting at that morning.

Kurama was engrossed in these thoughts as he finished getting ready. When he emerged from his room and walked into his kitchen, he smiled to see Hiei and Yusuke sitting at the table sharing a large plate of bacon.

"I can see that I'm going to need to buy more food if I'm going to be hosting the two of you at the same time," he remarked.

Yusuke scratched his head guiltily. "You don't have to," he said. "I know you gotta pay for school and everything."

Kurama waved that away. "Yusuke, even if my step-father were not a successful business man, I am probably the richest person you know. I've been stealing from people in all three worlds for centuries."

"Yeah, but your stash is in the Makai, isn't it?"

"Most of them are, yes," the fox replied. "But I have been to the Makai several times in the last few years. In fact, nearly all of the trips were made with you. What do you think I do when I disappear in the middle of the night?"

Yusuke gave him a look that clearly said that he had no idea that Kurama disappeared at night, and the redhead rewarded him with a brilliant smile. He turned to look at the fire demon. "Come to the store with me, Hiei?"

Red eyes narrowed. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Because I'm feeding you."

"You're feeding him too." Hiei protested, pointing at Yusuke. "You haven't fed me in years."

Kurama shifted so that his hair covered his eyes. "I know. But I'm asking _you_."

It took a lot of effort for Yusuke not to snicker at the look that came over Hiei's face then. The jaganshi had reddened and then paled rapidly. "I'll go," he muttered underneath his breath and then shoved three slices of bacon into his mouth.

"Wonderful," the redhead said with a grin. "I suppose you can wear what you have on now minus the cloak of course, and it will be fine. Unless you want to make a stop at a children's clothing store…"

Hiei glared at him as Yusuke laughed. "Can we just go?"

"Certainly. Yusuke, I assume you know the drill?"

The half demon rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah. Don't break anything, and don't touch any plants unless I want my hand eaten off."

"And?"

Yusuke huffed. "It was one time, Kurama!"

The kitsune just cleared his throat and waited.

"And I can watch television, but if you find porn on your pay per view again, you'll _make sure_ my hand is eaten off."

"Both of them, if need be," Kurama corrected. He smiled and looked at Hiei. "Shall we go?"

The fire demon followed Kurama out of the apartment snickering. They walked down the street in silence, with Kurama looking at the landscape around them while composing a grocery list in his head, and Hiei sneaking furtive glances at the redhead. Finally he spoke up.

"You and Yusuke are still close."

Kurama nodded without looking at his friend. "We are. It's nice to have someone around who knows me. As adept as I am at being Shuichi, diligent student and son, being Kurama is liberating. Spending time with Yusuke allows me to still have that part of me."

Hiei grunted. A few seconds later, he spoke again. "What's a lab partner?"

Kurama raised an eyebrow. "Well a lab is somewhere you do scientific experiments. A lab partner is the person who you do the experiments with. Why do you ask?"

"Yusuke mentioned that you had a pretty lab partner."

"Reiuka? Hm. I suppose she's pretty enough." The fox said no more on the subject and returned to his mental shopping list.

Hiei scowled at the lack of attention. He didn't know why he cared, really. He was fine not being the center of attention, and so what if Kurama thought his lab partner was pretty? Hiei didn't live in the human world anymore, so the affairs of it and the idiots who lived in it were none of his concern. But if all that were true, why did he still feel compelled to ask?

"Are you involved with her?"

Green eyes glanced at him sharply. Kurama blinked in confusion, then burst out laughing.

Hiei instantly regretted leaving his katana back at the apartment. He very much wanted to gut the fox, consequences be damned. He waited for nearly a full minute until Kurama had regained his composure. "What is so damned funny?" he demanded.

"I am sorry, Hiei. It's just you have no idea how ridiculous that question is. Reiuka and I could never be involved."

"Because you do not tangle with humans in that way?" Hiei wanted to know.

"Well there _is_ that. But there is also the fact that she likes women, and I like men." Kurama shook his head. "Reiuka and I involved. I'll have to tell her that one on Monday."

Hiei frowned. "You like men?"

"Yes," Kurama said as if the answer had been clear all along. "I thought you knew that."

"How would I have known that, fox? It's not like we've ever talked about such things."

"True," the redhead admitted. "I just assumed that you knew the nature of my relationship with Kuronue. Besides, most demons are at least bisexual."

They had reached the store by this point, and Kurama grabbed a shopping cart and headed for the dairy aisle. He knew better than to get his hopes up about the line of questioning Hiei was on. The fire demon liked to know things about the few beings he let close to him, and there was nothing more to it than that. No, Kurama knew that if he decided to pursue Hiei it would be a difficult task. There were so many layers of hurt and anger that he would have to work his way through. He wondered if it was worth it. Who knew how long Hiei planned to be in Ningenkai, or even if he would ever visit again? It was really safer for the fox to forget he had uncovered the truth about his feelings for his friend and move on.

But then the fire demon opened one of the freezers and pulled out a carton of chocolate ice cream. "Can we get this?" he asked, a hungry look in those red eyes.

Kurama sighed internally and took the ice cream. He held it for a moment, then dropped in the cart. Who was he kidding? He never played it safe. The pursuit was on.


	3. Two Heads

Hiei was perplexed. He was sitting in Kurama's living room on Sunday evening watching the fox work on his homework and Yusuke sleep on the couch. He was snoring lightly, and usually that would have annoyed the fire demon. Now, he was grateful that it gave him something to focus on other than the way Kurama wound slender fingers through his hair as he read and annotated his textbook.

Still, he found himself looking over at the fox more times than not, and one of these times, Kurama looked up and green eyes met red. Kurama smiled softly. "We must be proving your point right now," he commented.

"What?"

"You always said that one of the reasons why you hate Ningenkai so much was because it's rather dull here. Tonight seems to be a prime example of that."

Hiei shrugged. "Not much has changed."

"More than you'd think," Kurama replied. He gave the jaganshi a thoughtful look and closed his book. "Tell me something, Hiei. Did you miss us at all while you were in the Makai? Did you think about us? About me?"

That froze Hiei on his perch on one of the redhead's bookshelves. He didn't know how to answer that.

"I ask…because I didn't think about you at all,"

That really shocked him. "W-what?"

"I didn't," Kurama replied. "I thought about everything else in my life, but I didn't think about you. You became this hole that I just purposefully stepped around." His words started coming out in a rush as he spoke. "Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that if I allowed myself to think of you, it would hurt. I would mourn the fact that you chose to stay there and that might never come back. I couldn't bear that. Do you understand, Hiei? I can bear many things in my life, but never that."

"Why are you telling me this?" Hiei asked, hating the fact that his voice was nowhere near as steady as he would have like it to be.

The redhead smiled. "Because you came back, and I am glad for it."

"I'm not staying."

"I know."

"I'll…I'll leave again."

"I know."

"Then why…?"

"Because you mean something to me."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "You're a thief. Everything means something to you."

"Only those things that I wish to possess," Kurama corrected.

"You think you can have everything, so my statement still stands."

"Hm. Touché. Although I will point out that I don't _want_ everything I think I can have."

"What about the things you deserve?"

Kurama smiled wryly. "You never fail to surprise me, Hiei. You are so very young sometimes, but others…other times you astound me with your acuity. Hm. The things I deserve…The short answer is that I am a thief; I think I deserve everything."

"And the long answer?"

"One can never know what all they deserve. It takes time and effort to seek out these gems and acquire them. A certain level of pursuit is necessary for such items."

Hiei thought about that and found he had to agree. He had one more question though. "The things you cannot possess?"

"Are harder for me to understand," Kurama answered honestly. "I have centuries of thinking of things and even people as shiny things to add to my collection. In my prime years friends were the same as diamonds to me."

"And now?"

"Well, I am still a terribly covetous creature, but I treasure those around me more than any amount of wealth."

"You wanted me to come back," it was a question.

"I did." Kurama sighed. "No one knows me quite like you do, Hiei."

"You said something similar about why you spend so much time with Yusuke. I thought you delighted in being misunderstood."

"By my enemies, yes. Perhaps even by my mother. But not by my friends. Not by you." Kurama averted his eyes and smiled again. "Do you realize that this is the longest conversation we've had in almost two years?"

"Hn."

"Oh, don't ruin it by going monosyllabic on me."

"Shut up, fox."

Kurama chuckled and the two of them fell into a companionable silence. It was subtle, but something had shifted. The air between them felt more like it had before Mukuro, Yomi, and Raizen. Before Hiei had left with no intent to return. That pleased Kurama, but he was by no means satisfied. True to his borderline kleptomaniac nature, he wanted more.

* * *

The next morning, Kurama prodded Yusuke awake and sent him home on his way out the door to school. He paid attention to his professors and took notes while managing to carry on a mental conversation with the small demon who sat on the roof of each class he was in.

 _Do you actually understand this stuff?_ Hiei asked of Kurama's plant morphology class.

The fox smiled as he drew a diagram. _I do. Remember that I know plants as well as you know your sword. I've spoken with them, tended to them, and even had one rip its way out of me._

_Hn. Don't do that again._

_I don't plan to. Don't let anyone see you up there. We don't need another repeat of the alien incident, and I have no wish to use up my stores of dream pollen wiping the memories of my school mates._

Hiei rolled his eyes and cut the connection between them. He hated when the 'alien incident' was brought up. It was bad enough that _someone_ had seen fit to get a copy of that newspaper to Mukuro. It was enough to make the jaganshi wish he had killed the insufferable fox when he'd had the chance.

But of course that wasn't true.

If he killed Kurama then he would miss out on all of _this._ On the long circular conversations that never seemed to go anywhere but somehow reached some conclusion that satisfied both of them. On the cool touch of power that he felt when they spoke mind to mind.

If he were being honest with himself, which he rarely was, he was interested in Kurama. No…that wasn't right. Of course he was interested in the fox. There was more than likely no other being in any of the worlds who was as interesting as Kurama. He had known the thief for years and he had still yet to uncover every facet of his personality. It was maddening and wonderful at the same time.

Hiei came out of his thoughts in time to track Kurama to another building not far from the one he was perched on. Apparently the day of classes was nearing its close because this was where he had found the fox three days earlier.

He made himself comfortable and prepared to listen to another lecture of plants or cells or something else he didn't care about.

* * *

Reiuka Yamauchi grinned as she sat down next to Kurama. "Had a good weekend, Shuichi?"

Kurama smiled back. "It was enjoyable. How was yours?"

"Eh, mostly boring. How was your friend?"

The red haired young man shook his head at the lascivious tone in his lab partner's voice. "He's fine. Still visiting, in fact."

"That's nice."

"Quite."

"And you're sure you don't like him?"

Kurama could hardly believe his luck. He had spent hours trying to think of a way to hint about his feelings to Hiei without cornering the demon and making him run away. He should have counted on the gossipy Reiuka to come through. "Of course I like him," Kurama answered. "I like him more than I think he knows."

The rest of the class period passed quickly and Kurama left the campus alone. He had felt Hiei leave not long after he had been talking to Reiuka. Truthfully, he was expecting what would probably come next.

He let himself into his apartment and came face to face with a glaring Hiei.

"Perhaps you should consider thievery," the fox remarked lightly. "You seem adept at picking locks at the very least."

"What game are you playing, Kurama?"

"I wasn't aware that I was playing one," was the response.

"You told that human-"

"I know full well what I told her," Kurama replied. "I only told her because I knew I couldn't tell _you_."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh you know exactly what it means. Anytime someone gets closer to you than you're comfortable with, you run in the opposite direction. Seeing as you just returned from a two year hiatus, I was in no hurry to chase you away again."

"Where I go is my business." Hiei shot back.

Kurama glared at him. "You are so self centered, Hiei, I swear."

"I never asked for-"

"Yes, you did," the fox returned angrily. " _You_ asked for my help. _You_ are the one who kept showing up in my window. _I_ am the one who never asked for any of this. _This_ is why I didn't say anything to you."

"What?"

"Because you act like a spoiled child when you're afraid."

"I am _not_ afraid of you," Hiei spat.

"You're afraid of change. You're afraid to be off balance and thrown into a world that you can't make the rules of."

"That sounds more like you, than me."

Kurama opened his mouth, then closed it. He found that he couldn't deny that statement. "Perhaps it does. But I have learned to adapt in my lifetime. I _died,_ but I did not let that stop me. I overcame my fear. You let it rule you."

"I am not a prize for you to win," Hiei said loudly. "You can't steal me."

"No one said anything about _stealing_ you, you little idiot. Did you think I would treat this like a heist?"

"I thought you treated everything like a heist." Hiei wanted to take the words back as soon as he said them.

Kurama's eyes frosted over and he turned away from the jaganshi. "I never considered myself a masochist until I met you," he murmured. "You've hurt me time and time again, and yet, I am entranced. I would have killed anyone else by now, as a lesson to others, but as I said yesterday, I cannot bear to be rid of you."

The fox turned back around then, and the depth of sincerity that Hiei saw in those green eyes hit him full force. He was not prepared to deal with this now, and in the blink of an eye, he had fled.

Kurama let out a weary sigh. It was out. Now all he could do was wait.


End file.
